Game



Feb 19, 1952 B. H. FREEDMAN E-rAl. 2,585,924

' GAME Filed Sept. 10, 1947 K I 2Y SHEETS-SHEET l ATTORNEY Feb. 19, 1952 B. H. FREEDMAN ETAL 2,585,924

GAME

Filed sept. 1o, 1947 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 19, 1952 OFFICE 7 Claims;

This invention relates to games-'in generalfand more especially to games sucha-s cross-'Word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, checkers; chess, Yand the like. l

With games such as cross-word puzzles and' the like, adifculty encountered resulted-from the fact that-if the letters to be supplied for a lgiven board are marked in ink on a paper masten-if it were necessary to change the same, it wouldbe practically impossible to do so without-ruining or badly disguring the paper master. If, on the other hand, the letters -to be supplied for the given board are marked in pencil on the paper master, if required to be changed, unless-the paper master were composed of some durable material, it would be in danger of being ruined, and in any event badly disgured. If, onthe other hand, the letters to be supplied were formed on markers, such as checkers, 'especiallyif the puzzle was being worked on a train, boat or airplane, the markers would be quickly displaced as a result of a change in motion of thev transporting medium, or if played in a home, would not infrequently be accidentally displaced in jarring the support upon which the paper masterwere located. f Y

In the case of a game such as a jigsaw puzzle, checkers-or'chess, which includes a multiple of movable pieces, all of the disadvantages above recited with regard to a cross-word puzzle'having movable pieces would apply.

In View ofthe foregoing disadvantages, itis'an object of the present inventionto provide VVagam'e where the markers ymay Ybe conveniently positioned in place, remain so positioned in fpl'a'c'e Without fear of accidental displacementpandin turn, removed when desired, and such process'- repeated practically indefinitely. These and other features,capabilitiesandadvantages of the present invention Vwill Vappear vfrom the subjoined detail description of specific viewin perfis , 2 lFig. 6 isa marker in perspective detached, such ass'me of the markers illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig-'7 is-'a marker detached in perspective, such 'as'-illustratedinFigA.

Fig. 8 isla marker in perspective, suchas illustrated in Fig. 6, `but without a letter formed thereon. l Fig. 9 is -a plan view of a marker polygonal in shape as distinguished from round.

VvFig. l'O'is a perspective, partly broken away, of a container for housing a cross-word puzzle game.

lFig. 111 is a perspective' of a base and marker made according Vto one of the aforesaid embodi- 'ments in the process of being separated from one another. v

Figs. 12fandv 13 are fragmental details in section of abase marker'illustrative of the attaching process. l l' vIn #the Aembodiment shown in Figs. l and 2, there'is'illustrated a master or board l, having formed'thereon aseries of horizontally extendin'g demarcations '2 and a series of vertically extending demarcations 3 which intersect one another to uform, ein the present-instance, ftysiXor lmoresquares suitable for use for the plan of a cross-'word puzzle. Obviously, the board I, without departing from the general sprit of the invention-may be provided with intersecting dern'ar'caticmsf'52` and `i to form sixty-four squares suitable aswell for a checker boardor chess board. Furthermoraif the board-I vwereused asvthe base for a jigsaw puzzle, the intersecting demarcationslZfandS may be ignored, without departing from the -general spirit of this invention.

""fWh'en the board is intended for use. as the master' or guide fr a cross-word puzzle, then there are 'attached 4to the same a plurality of markers 4IL'Such-a's illustrated in Fig. 8, Without any ltter'for'med thereon. These markers may be' formed lto Iproduce any suitable design as is conventional with'cross-word puzzles, leaving between the markers 4, unmarked areast'o receive markers, such as the markers5 having letters formed thereon t'o'correspond 'to the word defining the definition in the conventicnal instructions. j v Oneof the objects of the present/invention is to provide'aboa'rd and-markers i and 5 which `will:readily/*adhere to the board Land in turn'be readily removable when desired Without injuring orimpairingfeither 'the board or the marker. It has been found, as an instance, that excellent results fhave-'beenachieved when fthe board 'I has formedinea'ch of-"the areas 6, deinedby the intersecting demarcations 2 and 3, a prepared surface area 1 composed of Celluloid, patent leather or a highly polished or naturally glossy coating of pyroxylin, linseed oil pyroxylin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl formaldehyde and polyvinyl butyral, cellulose nitrate, ethyl cellulose, latex, a mixture composed of gum rubber and asphaltum, a mixture of rosin, demar or ester gum, and dopes consisting mainly of scrap Celluloid. Preferably these substances are generally combined with a plasticizer, such as mineral oil, linseed oil, castor oil and other vegetable oils. If the base I consists of a sheet of oilcloth, then the polished surface may be `produced by a paint mixed with linseed oil. It is, of course, understood that there are various types of oilcloth and that the present invention may be carried out with any of these types. It has' been found, as an instance, that when the prepared areas 1 are glossy oilcloth areas, that then the rear face or lower face 8 of the markers 4 and 5 may be the glossy surfaces of an oilcloth if the markers 4 and 5 are composed of oilcloth or of polyvinyl chloride or the like. In practice, it has been found that the contacting glossy surfaces of the prepared areas 1 and the lower faces 8 of the markers 4 and 5 need not be the glossy surfaces of like substances or like coatings. In the case of oilcloth or polyvinyl chloride, it has been found, however, that the best results have been achieved When the Vprepared surfaces 1 and the surfaces 8 and the markers 4 and 5 are both glossy. With the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l, 2, 6 and 8, excellent results have been achieved when the prepared areas 1, 1 alone are glossy as distinguished from the surrounding portion of the areas 6 so that when the markers, such as the markers 4 and 5, are attached to the same, the edge of each marker 4, 5, will extend beyond the periphery of an area 1 to facilitate removing a marker 4 or 5 from an area 1 by merely inserting the finger nail of the player under the edge of a marker 4 or 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the markers 4 and 5 will so extend beyond the peripheries of the prepared areas 1 due to the fact that the diameter of each marker 4, 5 is slightly greater than the diameter of each prepared area 1.

Preferably in the interest of neatness, should the game be intended for use by children, the board I has guide demarcations 9 formed thereon of a distinctive color, the hatching in Fig. 1 of the demarcations 9 being indicative of the color red. When the demarcations 9 are so used, then preferably the markers 5 are provided with a demarcation II) of a similar color which may aline with the demarcation 9 as shown in the upper right h and corner of Fig. 1.

If the markers 4, 5 and base I are composed of a flexible material as polyvinyl chloride, oil cloth or the like, then the markers 4 and 5 may even correspond in size to those of the prepared areas 1, since by exing the base I the markers 4 and 5 can be readily removed should difficulty be encountered in directing the finger nail of the player under the edge of a marker 4 or 5 when atmarcations I5 and vertically extending demarcations I6 intersecting one another to form the areas I1. In this case, markers, such as the markers I8 illustrated in Fig. '1, are used to advantage Where the rear face has a prepared area I9 smaller in size and dimension than the size of the marker I8 so that the prepared area, see Fig. '7, is spaced from the periphery 20 of the marker I8 with an intervening dull area or band 2I When a marker, such as the marker I8, is secured to one of the areas I1, then by virtue of the fact that the band 2l is not glossy or polished, it will not adhere to the glossy face of the area I1, and consequently the finger nail of the user can readily extend under the edge of the marker I8 to initiate the removal of the same.

Here too, in the interest of neatness when the game is intended for children, preferably the board I4 is provided with transversely extending guide lines 22 to register with guide lines on the markers I8, such as the guide line 24 on the marker I 8 illustrated. The board I4 may, however, be composed of oilcloth or polyvinyl chloride, and have one face glossy or else the board may be composed of a cloth or paper and coated With pyroxylin or linseed pyroxylin, which when dried will produce a glossy surface suitable to cooperate with a marker having a similar glossy surface or to cooperate with the glossy surface of a marker composed of oilcloth or polyvinyl chloride. Fig. 5 is illustrative in cross-section of a sheet 25 of cardboard, cloth or the like having a coating 26 of polyvinyl chloride, pyroxylin, linseed pyroxylin, or the like.

Obviously the markers may assume any shape other than round, such for instance as polygonal or square as illustrated in Fig. 9, see the marker 21 there illustrated, Without departing from the general spirit of the invention. When the marker is square or polygonal, see the marker 21 in Fig. 9, then obviously the sharp corners 28 may be used to advantage, since the finger nail of a player, it has been found, will more readily pass under a corner, such as a corner 28, to remove a marker when it is desired to remove the same, than When the finger nail of the user is forced against the intervening side of a marker 21 or even against the convex side of a marker, such as the marker I8, if the marker I8 was not provided with the dull band 2 I.

It is, of course, well known that a great many substances and materials, either as coatings or as sheets, have the property of attaching or alxing themselves to other sheets when pressure alone is exercised. Such substances and materials, either as coatings or sheets, may conveniently be identified as pressure sensitive attaching substances and materials. Whether this attaching phenomenon results solely from the Vacuum created between two glossy or highly polished surfaces, or whether a plasticizer such as a vegetable oil, including castor oil, linseed oil, is primarily responsible for this attaching phenomenon is immaterial. The fact remains that if the base or guide board, such as the board I, is a rigid non-exible board such as glass with a highly polished surface, a cast sheet of Celluloid having a glossy or glazed surface, or whether the base is composed of a exible material such as oilcloth having a glossy surface or polyvinyl chloride, known as Vinylite, having a glossy or glazed surface produced by a heatedY highly polished cylinder, or when the glazed surface of a plastic, such-as polyvinyl chloride is produced by the application of a high frequency current,

agees-5924 4excellent resultshave'been achieved when the markers, such asthe markers'd, 5, are composed 4of oilcloth havinga glazed or polished surface, lof polyvinyl chloride, such as Vinylite, having a glazedpr'glossy"surface, or composed of a iiexiengagement with the glossy `or'glazed face of `the base. When the base and-markers' are so pre- `have a'glossy orl glazed' surfacaandtheglazed y or glossy faces of these markers are pressed into i pared, in turn, it has beenifound that a'plurality of the bases may be placedpneon top "of the other, and the markers may b'e'placedc'one on top'of the other when'packing the game `away in a box, such as the box'29 illustrated in Fig. 10, I

and the bases Will ordinarily not 'adhere toone another, and in turn the markers will notadhere to one another unlessv the glossy or'glazedy faces markers, when positioned on the base or support, `may .by pressure be.caused to attach to one anothe1` and yet be readily removable upon the exercise of a slight force on the markers. Excellent results'have been achieved when the base and markers are composed of oilcloth which is made of the ordinary cotton or burlap fabric and the glossy surface produced by a paint mixed with linseed oil orwhen the material is composed of apolyvinyl chloride .composition including ,a

plastici-zer, such as castor oil, a pigment and a curing agent.

In Fig. l0, as an instance, the V'box 29 there .illustratedis provided vwith intersecting partitions,f.such as the partitions 30.*and3l to.form pockets. In turn, the front .face of the-.partitions 39 may have marked thereon near the upper edge thereof the letters of the alphabet, or other like indices, to indicate the pockets for the markers having the respective letters or indices thereon. Preferably the partitions 30 and 3| do not extend to the upper edge of the walls 32 and 33 as shown in Fig. so that boards or bases 34, such as thebases l of Fig. 1 may be placed one upon the other and then upon the upper edges of the partitions and 3l inside of the walls 32 and.

33 so that a cover 35 with a conventional ange 3B may be placed on the box 29 and properly enclose the boards 34 and markers 31. With this arrangement, the markers 3l willbe anchored in their respective pockets by the boards 34 against displacement, and as aforesaid, due to the character of their glazed or glossy surfaces, the markers and boards will ordinarily not affix themselves to one another unless pressure is exercised and even then they can be quickly released from one another upon the exercise of a slight counteracting force.

To illustrate the process of attachment of the markers to the boards, see Figs. l2 and 13. In Fig. 12 the board 38 is composed of a transparent material such as cellulose acetate having a lower glossy face 39 and the marker 40 there illustrated has an upper glossy face. When the marker 40 with its glossy face is in engagement One of 'with meg-'16553' 'faeces of 'the-boarded and" the linger of the player is pressedeit-her onto the board 38 or onto the marker-d0, irregular spots will appear through the 'transparent sheet-38 similarto wet-spots, spaced fron one another. If sufficient pressure were exercised, the. entire face of the `marker'llll,-vvhere it-engages the'board 38, will appear as a Wet spot. Thereupon, if a sheet of paper or thin lm lwere introduced at one edge between the marker 40 andthe board 38,thefmoisture-like spot will recede as the intervening sheet -advances and -the lmarkerdll dropped from the board '3`8'when' the lastf moisture-like spot has disappeared. It has Valsov been found that when a ring or coinhaving-a raised periphery is pressed into engagement withthe markerv lIl!) as illustrated in Fig. .13, that' then there-will appear a circularmoisture-like ring Lllconforming to the ring `orraised periphery of the coin, and in' turn, here too when a thin sheet of paper or the like is introduced between .the marker 40' and the board 38. the moisture-like ring 4| Will gradually recede.

-When'the .base Landi-marker A5 are exible, thenlas shown in Fig. 1.1, the-markerl51ma=y-be 'readily peeled off ofthe base-I Withoutexercising *any particularlateral pressurel on the marker 15, but merely by bending or flexing -the `marker acetatef and co-polymerized vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride, especially when plasticized, cellulose nitrate such vas cellulose vesteriiied withk nitric. acid, preferably not nitrated beyond 11% nitrocellulose associated with camphor to producepyroxylin-especially `when plasticized with castor oil, tributyl phosphate and thelike, vcellulose'acetate vsuch as cellulose esteriedvvith acetic acid anhydride, especially-when plasticized rwith methyl-"ethyl phthalate and urea-formaldehyde resins or melamine-formaldehyde resins, especially when plasticized with oil modied alkyds. In turn, it is of course obvious, Without departing from the spirit of the invention, that various plasticizers may be used for those already mentioned in the class, including polyalcohol derivatives, naphthalene derivatives, phosphoric acid derivatives, phthalic acid derivatives, saturated and unsaturated fatty acid derivatives, various other aliphatic or aromatic acid derivatives, sucrose compounds, urea compounds, and the like.

It has also been found that the base and markers need not be composed of like substances, With this exception, that the best results have been achieved When the cooperating surfaces are either highly polished or have a natural high gloss.

Without departing from the spirit of this invention, the base I and the markers 5 may also be formed of a plastic substance composed of acrylic or methacrylic resins, either combined with a plasticizer such as benzyl sebacate, butyl phthalate and the like, or prepared to the desired degree of softness by copolymerization of the proper monomers.

In co-pending applications, to wit, Ser. No. 740,099, led April 8, 1947, in the name of Emil J. Heggedal, and Ser. No. 773,093, filed September 10, 1947, in the name of Benjamin H. Freed- 7 man, use ls also'madeof the polished surfaces hereinabove referred to.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may 4be made to the details of construction of both the board and markers Without departing from the general spirit of the invention as set forth in the' appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination of two elements including a sheet base and sheet markers having dry glossy facial areas to permit intimate and air-free contact between the glossy areas of the markers and base upon the application of a slight pressure, one of said elements being exible, and a dull or matted facial area formed on one of said elements between the outer edges of the markers and the glossy areas of the markers facing the opposing face of the other element, but not attachable to said opposing face to facilitate removing the markers from the base when a peeling force is exercised on the flexible element, said dull facial area being in the same plane with its adjacent glossy area.

2. A exible sheet marker having a dry glossy facial area for a sheet base having a dry glossy facial area to permit intimate and air-free contact between the glossy facial area of the marker and the glossy facial area of the base upon the application of slight pressure, said marker having a dull matted facial area between the cuter edge thereof and the outer edge of the glossy facial area thereof to oppose the glossy facial area of the base Ibut not attachable to the base to facilitate engaging a part of the so liberated outer edge of the marker when exercising a peeling force on the marker to remove the same from the base, the dull facial area of the marker being in the same plane as its glossy facial area.

3. The combination of a sheet base having dry glossy facial areas spaced from one another and dull matted facial 'areas between said glossy facial areas and in the same plane with its adjacent glassy facial areas, and flexible sheet markers having dry glossy facial areas to permit intimate and air-free contact with the glossy facial areas of the base upon-the application of a slight pressure with a part of the glossy facial areas of the markers overlapping, and not attachable to, a part of the dull matted facial area of the base to enable the part of the marker so liberated to be engaged when exercising a peeling force on the marker to remove the same from the base.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the two elements are composed of polyvinyl chloride compounds.

5. 'Ihe combination set forth in claim 1 in which the markers are composed of a polyvinyl chloride compound.

6. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the marker is exible and composed of a polyvinyl chloride compound.

7. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which the markers are flexible and composed of a polyvinyl chloride compound.

BENJAMIN H. FREEDMAN. EMIL J. HEGGEDAL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 682,062 Haberstroh Sept. 3, 1901 1,595,221 Brown Aug. l0, 1926 2,079,550 De Mott May 4, 1937 2,200,203 Heintz May 7, 1940 2,250,583 Krauter July 29, 1941 2,262,400 Laws Nov. 11, 1941 2,331,776 Heggedal Oct. 12, 1943 2,410,988 Mevi Nov. 12, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 427,737 Great Britain Apr. 23, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES Websters New International Dictionary, 2d edition, Merriam Publishing Co. Copyright 1945, p. 1338 item to "Johannsen Gauge Blocks. 

